Risinghurst, Oxford

Image: © David Hallam-Jones Taken: 1 Aug 2013

The former home of C.S. Lewis ("Jack"); his brother Warren ("Warnie") and Mrs Janie Moore. When they made the joint purchase of this house in 1930 the suburb of Risinghurst did not exist and this now-asphalted cul-de-sac was nothing more than a rough track leading to the site of a former brickworks (hence its name, "The Kilns"), plus several flooded clay pits. They also bought the surrounding 8 acres of untended woodland (now the C.S. Lewis Nature Reserve) to ensure their privacy. "Warnie", the last surviving member of the trio, lived here until his death in 1973. The house then became the property of various owners until it was purchased for £130,000 by the California-based C.S. Lewis Foundation in the 1980s. This charity restored it to its near original 1930s appearance and it now serves as a study centre and a visitor centre. A bid to gain listed status for the house was rejected in February 2002. Behind the photographer, nature-lovers can access the extensive - and partially hilly - nature reserve via a short footpath.

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